BMET struggling to cope with overseas job seekers' rush

FE Team | Published: July 29, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Naim-Ul-Karim
The Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) is struggling to cope with the rush of overseas job seekers due to its inadequate capacity resulting from a large number of vacancies.
According to a high official of the BMET, more than 300 posts are at present lying vacant.
Meanwhile, he said, no decision on the 'manpower recruitment policy for BMET', which was sent to the Ministry of Establishment about two years ago, has yet been made thus compounding the difficulties.
Acknowledging the inadequate capacity of BMET, secretary of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Abdul Matin Chowdhury said "We have taken steps to fill up some of the vacant posts soon."
Other vacant posts will gradually be filled up, he added.
Regarding 'Manpower Recruitment Policy of BMET', Chowdhury said they are in touch with the ministry concerned and expressed the hope that it would soon be finalised.
According to the official statistics of the BMET, in the first six months of the current year about 369,971 overseas job seekers have left country against 179,295 of the same period of the previous year.
Besides, BMET is also failing to arrange briefing sessions for the overseas jobseekers, which is an important part, sources said.
The briefing to the overseas job seekers is needed to help them understand the rules and regulation of the country for which they are destined, sources said.
Through the briefing sessions, sources said, overseas jobseekers are motivated and encouraged to send remittance through formal channels and informed about the benefits that the government has to offer Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs).
Despite a record high remittance inflow of nearly $6.00 billion in the just concluded fiscal with 24.52 per cent growth over the previous fiscal and contribution to the foreign exchange reserve that stood at $5.13 billion, official sources said, the remittances could be improved if prompt services to the overseas job seekers are delivered.